The Adventures of US Airways

Today, I am on my way to San Diego to meet my family for some summer fun time. I used the website Hotwire.com to arrange this little getaway and failed miserably. First, I mistakenly mistook United Airlines to be US Airways. In other words, my family only flies Continental (now United) when we can. I had a ditzy moment and booked a flight with US Airways with stops because it offered cheaper choices. I impulsely bought the ticket forgetting the fact that once you book a flight, it is a done deal. One click. Done. Oops. I was mortified when I realized that I 1) booked the wrong airline so frequent flier miles and points are lost and 2) bought the ticket too soon. I was kicking myself over and over mentally. Well this should be an experience!

Fast forward to today…well, right now. I am currently in between two strangers 35,000 feet above Earth. One old guy who stated he will never fly this airline again (I concur) and another friendly guy who wouldn’t turn off his phone before we took off. I am glad we didn’t all die like they tell you you are supposed to do if our devices aren’t turned off when the door is shut. The funny thing is that many people I have spoken to seem to not usually fly this airline. The guy next to me (old guy) stated this was the cheaper ticket and when I didn’t know that US Airways was cheaper (Sue me. I thought Southwest had the best prices) he accused me of not knowing because daddy had paid for my ticket. Ouch. Dis much? Yes, my father paid for my ticket. I am also only 21. You’re like 65. Anyways, before boarding the plane, no one looked happy. NO ONE. Everyone had a slight scowl on their faces which I have oddly never seen unless everyone is in a long line for some necessary evil like the post office. So, I shouldn’t be surprised to be greeted my many negative sentiments as we are boarding the plane. The line to board wasn’t moving smoothly due to everyone towing carry-ons and there not being adequate space in a timely manner. The white-haired lady had me worried I would have to check my bag due to the halt the line had undertaken. Once inside, however, the flustered flight attendant help me find a spot 3 rows behind my current row.

The passengers behind me are young and spark up a conversation to lighten the negative mood that had permeated the cabin. We spoke about HBO, Shameless, Game of Thrones, and Showtime and were laughing after 5 minutes. We also ogled and played with the eerie condensation from the air conditioner that floated over our feet and heads. It looked like they had placed a fog machine in—hold on—must stop typing. My neighbor is peeking over my shoulder and reading my stuff.

—–5 minutes later—

Okay, he is currently looking at the window. Whew. Let me finish. It looked like they had placed a fog machine in each row. We laughed and giggled because at that moment, that was the only entertaining thing happening besides the flight attendants who took their job too seriously:

“I CAN SEE THE LIGHT ON YOUR PHONE, SIR! YOUR PHONE IS NOT OFF! Do I have to confiscate phones today because you won’t respect government flight regulations!?”

Whoa, ma’am a polite: “please turn off your device completely” would have sufficed. Once she was out of earshot, our two rows cracked up in laughter. YES MA’AM. This is serious, YES MA’M.

Needless to say when I get to Phoenix I hope things go smoothly. This is my first connecting flight AND I am without my parents, yes, I still feel more comfortable traveling with them. Only Child Syndrome. You should look it up. I will let you guys know how the Phoenix airport treats me. Until then, chao!